ACTING—Sort of a Resume

People think I’m getting rich from a commercial in which I play the leading role and do the voice-over (above). In fact, it was a non-union job for which I got a small one-time fee. Even though it’s shown nationwide fairly often, the only benefit for me is a certain amount of credibility.

It’s been the same with commercials and PSAs for Consumer Reports, Western Union, Ally Bank. Metro PCS, Big Apple Mobility, Mavis Tires, and the NYC Office of Emergency Management.

It’s the same, alas, with music videos.

The Lumineers are one of the top musical groups in the world, and the video for “Submarines,” starring me (rotoscoped into a cartoon figure), has had over 5.1 million views. A video for Born of Osiris has had 3.9 million views, and you’ll easily find me in videos for the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Freddie Wexler, and Wolvves, and for Gentleman, a popular reggae singer in Germany (it was filmed in Brooklyn).

Then there were leading and smaller roles in series for ID Discovery and other cable networks, including History Channel, Lifetime Movie Network, Travel Channel, TRU TV, and HBO. I’ve played the ghosts of the fathers of Connie Stevens and Chazz Palminteri. I’m part of the cast for a kids’ science series, but I can’t say more about it since it hasn’t been released yet.

I’ve done lead roles for independent film producers and directors of comedy videos, as well as a lot of smaller roles. And there have been student films at NYU, Columbia, Bard, New York Film Academy, and the School of Visual Arts.

I was part of a terrific video presentation in a NYC subway center, where I could be seen on a 30-foot screen and 50 other screens.

On stage I’ve done Shakespeare, a season at the off-Broadway phenomenon Sleep No More, a traveling play about the Nazi era, and a year in a play at Upright Citizens Brigade (disclosure—in that year, we performed once or twice a month), as well as a couple of years doing sketch comedy in clubs.

I’ve done a surprising amount of modeling. You can find me on the cover of a beautifully printed art-and-fashion magazine. I’ve done stock-photo and print shoots for a number of prominent photographers.

I also write plays,which is how I got into this career. It started six years ago, after I left my last full-time job.

Here are two sample reels of my work:

But I’m not getting rich!

I do it for fun and experience and because one thing leads to another.

And because on one occasion, a stranger in a distant city said: “Excuse me, did I just see you in a commercial?”